‘Micro-Moments’, a term coined by Google in 2015, is a modern marketing model that has been somewhat overlooked by marketers so far; being taken as an assumption of all consumer behaviour in this digital age rather than being treated as part of the customer journey itself.
But with consumer micro-moments becoming more and more frequent as technology evolves with innovations such as voice and image search, will marketers have to begin to take this mass social and purchasing trend more seriously?
What Actually is a Micro-Moment?
We’ve all been there, struggling to sleep at 2am and before your fatigued mind’s even realised you’ve watched a full documentary on a crime that happened over 40 years ago, partook in multiple Buzzfeed quizzes to discover what kind of pizza topping you are and booked a flight to Krakow because it was simply “too good a deal to miss”. These brief, impulsive instances are exactly what these micro-moments are, and what marketers need to be taking advantage of.
Knower of all, Google, defines micro-moments as “intent-driven moments of decision-making and preference-shaping that occur throughout the entire consumer journey”. Simple, right?
In plainer terms, it refers to everyday moments at which consumers are acting on a need, such as wanting/needing to:
- Learn something new
- Do something
- Discover something
- Watch something
- Buy something
Prior to the digital age, consumers wouldn’t be able to so quickly act on a need or want, instead having to wait for the shops to open or the channels to start again on TV. We’re now faced with a 24/7 active consumer base being able to act on micro-moments whenever they wish.
What Relevance are These to You and Your Company?
Marketers simply can’t afford to overlook these micro-moments; and here’s why:
Google’s research found that 91% turn to their mobile devices in the middle of performing a task for ideas or inspiration with 65% of which looking for the most relevant information regardless of the company providing it. 1 in 3 consequently purchases from a company or brand other than the one they intended to due to information being provided in the moment they needed it by a competitor.
This ‘I want it now’ behaviour and lack of brand commitment completely opens up the playing field for competing companies, with the most relevant, useful and customer-focused competitor achieving the conversion.
Yes, we go on about it a lot, but with more than half of smartphone users have discovered a new company or product when conducting a search on their smartphone, good SEO has never been so important. We turn to Google to ask every and any impulsive question now, and if your company can provide the answer to that, especially before a competitor can, you’ve instantly gained the trust of the consumer and are more likely to receive a conversion from them.
So instead of focusing on the age-old linear customer-journey templates that have dominated for decades, perhaps it’s time to take a fresh look at consumer trends and how you can prioritise and cash-in on these frequent, information-driven micro-moments.
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